With assembly polls in some states due by early next year, the Election Commission today expressed concern over the alarming proportion of paid news. It also directed officials to closely monitor poll-related reports. <br/><br/>The EC said in a statement that the recent phenomenon of paid news, which is assuming alarming proportion as a serious electoral malpractice, has been causing concern to the Commission in the context of conduct of free and fair elections. <br/><br/>In its directive to Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories, the EC asked the District Electoral Officers to closely monitor the media in this regard. It said that district-level committees may be constituted by the District Election Officers as soon as election is announced to undertake vigorous scrutiny of all newspapers in order to locate political advertisement in the garb of news coverage appearing within the election period.<br/><br/>The Commission said, the District Committee should keep a watch on the election news and features on the electronic media in the district.